the gospel...pure and simple.

I don't have much to say after watching this other than that this man is one of the most beautiful, christlike spirits I have ever seen.

deaf?

"Mom. Can we make googly eyeball sock puppets?"

"Can we?"

"MOM...can we?"

"Mom, are you deaf...cause I hope you're not."

"Mom, why are you acting like you're deaf? I hope you're not deaf. Why are you acting like it?"

...because I don't want to make googly eyeball sock puppets. :)

perfecting the dive...

Someone has nearly perfected it. Look at that form. Seriously. Threading the needle.

And he feels pretty darn great about it.
Someone else practiced over and over and over, with cousin Bromen at her side...and came SO close. She was not going to give up. She makes me really proud.

And some other someone's just enjoyed watching and cheering them on. :)

just another prompting...

I need to document an experience I had last week. I need to remind myself that the Lord is always aware of me, of my children. We had my niece Annie in town for a week and 1/2 from PA. The kids were thrilled! We love Annie so much. I had the crazy thought that I would take all 6 kids up to Bridal Veil falls one day. In truth, it really wasn't bad. The older 4 kids are a breeze, and they help SO much with the younger 2. Everything really was great. After a short 5 minute walk, we were there. The kids love to roll up their shorts and wade in the pools at the bottom. The water is FREEZING, but they love it, so I allow it. :) Lizzy spent most of the time with Molly, carrying her around, moving her from rock to rock, and scaring me half to death. Those rocks are slick, and Molly ain't no lightweight. Lizzy did great though. I kept Margaret in the stroller the whole time. Life is just easier when your 1 year old is strapped in. I was just enjoying my kids enjoying themselves.

Then Lizzy slipped. Just a little. But enough to get her clothes soaking wet. She was really sad...and I was a little annoyed. It was mean of me. She needed me to hurry over to make sure she was alright, so I did. I left Margaret strapped in, on the flattest "boardwalk" type section of the path. I walked 20 feet to Lizzy and checked her out. Her face, her knees, her feet. All OK...just sad. As I was looking her over, I felt a very distinct prompting to check my baby. I turned my head...she wasn't there. She wasn't there! My world and my heart stopped in that moment. I kept spinning. Where was she? Once I turned all the way around, I saw her, heading off the backside of the trail, towards the steep drop-off...right into the semi-raging river. I screamed and I ran. I caught the stroller just as the 2 left wheels were leaving the trail and heading down. My heart was in my throat. I had caught her. 2 seconds more, and I wouldn't have. The stroller would have flipped on the rocks, and she would have been carried down the river.

After I breathed for a minute, I thought about what had just happened. She was on a flat bridge. How had she rolled? Why had no one seen her roll? One of the kids saw us all walking over to Lizzy and didn't want the baby to be left alone, so they moved her nearer to us...onto a slope...without the breaks. I had all sorts of emotions to deal with at that point. I've dealt with them. What I want to remember forever is that whispering...that urge. It came from the Lord. Of that I am sure. It came from Him and I am so grateful that I listened.

the temple family photo night...

Things are nice and peaceful at the beginning. :) They go to very hectic pretty quick. Hectic, but SO worth it. This first picture is of Tracy, Sally and Caroline. Sally had been diagnosed with breast cancer the week before and had a mastectomy two days later. It was overwhelming for my sweet mom. Sally did great though. Recovery was great. She just wanted to get back to work! :) We are now awaiting more results from the oncologist. Keep her in your prayers.

The entire group...minus my nephew David and niece's husband Dan (they were both with us for part of the week, just not this night)...plus 2 new additions...Gavin Parker (more pictures of him to come) and Margaret Lilley. Mmmm...they are sweet.

The 8 Temple children...in order. Lisa, Caroline, Joel, Sarah, Amy, Tracy, Rachel, and Laura. That is a LOT of kids!

The younger 4. The 4 my parents had after they joined the church.

Sweet Elsie...Laura's oldest.

Caroline and her 2 kids Rich and Michele...plus sweet little grandbaby Quinn.

Rachel and her darling Annie.

Laura and her family.

Grandpa with mine.

Lisa and I.

My wakawaka gorgeous niece, Christy. This is the niece that just graduated from BYU and comes over every week. :)

Christy and her wierd mama...with wierd Grandpa in the background. :)

My Margaret.

Observing Alex (taken by my brother Joe...or maybe my dad).

We really tried. Margaret wasn't really having it.

Yummy Charlotte...Laura's baby.

My dear parents (taken by Joe, as well as the last one).

The End.

flint flying squirrel...

Take a lookey at what Alex drew today.

Just thought you should see.

I am proud.

come dip your feet in...

I've mentioned it before, and I'll mention it again. Getting over to the beach is a hassle. The house is bussling. The kids are anxious to go. Everyone needs sunscreen applied. Lunches have to be packed. Coolers filled. Towels counted. Chairs grabbed. Buckets. Shovels. Blankets. Umbrellas. Double check to make sure you have all the kids. There's Christy heading over with the first batch. Those of us with young kids usually go at about 10 am since they've been up since 7. :( The other house, filled with older kids and adults, trickles down over the next few hours.

The weather was pretty fantastic for the first few days. Upper 80's maybe. It didn't even feel that humid. That changed though when the heat wave came through. Good grief, it got hot. With the heat index, it was nearly 105. Too hot to run, I'll tell you that much. Great for spending lots of time in the water though...until a sting ray swims by...then you've got to tough the heat. :(

Elsie is SO ready!

I love how hard Molly is working, getting up that dune with her .5 oz floatie. She is a doll.

As soon as we get there, towels get spread out, cover-ups stripped off, and we hit the water. The stress of getting there is gone. Your senses take over. The feeling of the sand on your feet is therapeutic. So is the sound of the ocean. The taste of the air.

We spend hours every day, just sitting in beach chairs, watching the kids play, chatting and laughing. This is my niece Valerie, sister in law Thelma, and sister Laura...catching some sweet rays!

Alex and Aaron love to dig. They will dig all day long. It's awesome...although it can lead to a pretty sunburned back. :(

Laura with her little Charlotte. I love this baby. She is 2 1/2 and yummy. She marches to the beat of her own drum. She is beautiful and funny. I think I took more pictures of her this year than my own kids.

Your skin gets tight from the sun and salt. Sand is everywhere. In your hair, your nose, under your nails...and you just don't care. Not one bit.

My niece Michele's little Quinn. Isn't she perfect? She loved the beach this year. Something happens when they go from a baby to a toddler. They enjoy it more. The sand doesn't freak them out. They come to know the finer things in life, like Tootsie Pops dipped in the Atlantic Ocean. :)

This year, the boys enjoyed lots of games. Most of them are teenagers now. When we started these trips, they were so little. Now they are ready to graduate from High School. They are CUTE. And they are good to my kids, which makes me love them even more.

Delicious Charlotte again.

Lizzy was a shell collector of the most serious kind. She was intense. If she wasn't in the water jumping waves, she was hunting for shells, or sandcrabs, or tiny clams. Here she is with her Tootsie Pop, showing Annie and Charlotte her treasure trove.

This was Margaret's first time by the ocean. Emily was insistent that she be the one to take her to the water. She really wasn't too sure at first, but she actually warmed up to it. She only spent about an hour a day at the beach, then she'd head home with Daddy for a nap. She wanted to be on people's laps a lot, but it hurts. You're skin is burnt and there is basically a layer of sandpaper between her wiggly little legs and yours. Great for exfoliating, I guess.

They all do this when they are little. Legs up so they won't touch the water. It is hilarious...and we laugh every single time, like it's the first time we've seen it. :)

Dave is the master shell collector. I have quite a story to share with you. Maybe in a few days.

My nephew Rich has never been a fan of the beach...especially the water. Things changed this year. It was SO great. He would just hang out in the water with the littler cousins. They love being around him. They also loved their $ Tree princess floaties...except Alex who would flip his upside down every time he used it. We could still see Ariel, but he felt better about it. :)

Sometimes we head home for lunch, sometimes we bring it with us. By 4 or 5, we're ready to go. Staggered of course, so everyone will have hot water for their shower. Dinner, bed for the kids, games, then off to bed, ready for the next day!